This paper uses microdata from the United States, Britain and Japan to examine the effects of family leave coverage on … of working women were covered. Japan has had maternity leave legislation since 1947 but not all workers were covered. We … particularly marked effect in Japan. This result suggests that the recent expansions in family leave coverage are likely to lead to …

Low fertility is a major policy focus in Japan. Many policies, such as an increase in replacement allowances during … parental leave, were rolled out during the 1990s and early 2000s with little evidence that they had any effect on fertility or … society where both gender and organizational norms are strong. The short-hour option in Japan significantly increased …